Masa harina is a type of flour that is used as a staple ingredient in many Latin American dishes. It is made from dried corn dough and is sometimes referred to as corn flour. Masa harina is used to make the dough, referred to as masa or masa dough, for tortillas, tamales, pupusas, and gorditas. It is also used for thickening soups and sauces. Masa harina is made from ground field corn that has been treated through a process called nixtamalization. During this process, dried corn is soaked in calcium hydroxide and then put through a fine-grade grinder to make the corn dough. The resulting dough is then dried and powdered into a flour form called masa harina. Masa harina is not the same as cornmeal, which is simply finely ground kernels of corn that havent been treated. However, cornmeal can be used as a substitute for masa harina by blending it with flour.